Attronarch's Athenaeum

Campaign journals, reviews of TTRPG stuff, and musings on D&D.

The time is here! This year I decided to do a single megapost by category (adventure / bestiary / supplement) instead by publisher. I also decided to limit myself only to things I bought, read, and that isn't TSR (many classics to pick up there!). Each category is sorted alphabetically. I tried to provide brief explanation for each item, but do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Spend reasonably!

Adventures

Bestiaries

Supplements

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Lamentations of the Flame Princess might be edgy, but it was Raggi and his vision that popularised splendid looking A5-sized rulebooks, adventures, and supplements, in the OSR space. Here are some of the books I've enjoyed very much, that don't feature excessive gore and edgelordiness:

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Frog God Games has a large catalogue, and they often churn out re-releases of their previous work with minor changes. I am not a big fan of their new layout and art direction. It feels cheap and is somehow even worse than previous budget black and white art pieces.

Great majority of the recommendations below are for Swords & Wizardry system, a retroclone of Original D&D. All statblocks have descending and ascending AC, and everybody uses a single save throw (but since HDs and levels are nearly identical, you can use TSR-era saves without any hassle). Do note that FGG begun to move away from Swords & Wizardry as a system label to OSR as system label. It is still S&W though...

Adventures

  • Stoneheart Valley (Swords and Wizardry). A collection of three old Necromancer Games adventures: The Wizard's Amulet, The Crucible of Freya, and The Tomb of Abysthor. First one is shit, second is fine, and third is awesome.
  • The Lost City of Barakus (Swords and Wizardry) (local and regional maps). Perhaps my favourite Necromancer Games mega-dungeon—because it is so much more! You get a starting city (with seven adventures), a wilderness area (with 26 keyed encounters and mini adventures), and a mega-dungeon with interesting factions and cool big-bad. Suitable for low-level parties.
  • The Northlands Saga Complete (Swords and Wizardry). A compilation of ten adventures set in stereotypical cold north. Probably enough for several years of gaming. My favourite activity is stealing from this book and including parts of it in my own game. Tenfootpole has reviewed first four adventures back in the day (NS1, NS2, NS3, NS4). $18 is a steal for this.
  • Cyclopean Deeps (Swords and Wizardry) (volume one and two). Underground hex-crawl for high-level parties. Includes underground settlements as well. Perfect for plugging into lowest levels of large dungeons... Or under sprawling cities...
  • The Slumbering Tsar Saga (PF). 800 page monster. High-level, high-lethality area with brutal challenges.
  • Bard's Gate (Swords and Wizardry) (player's guide). A massive city packed with urban encounters and adventures (8 included, from levels 1 to 10+). Very dense book. Some say this is FGG's finest product. The truths is: this is another Necromancer Games revival. And that's why it's great. :)
  • The Blight (Swords and Wizardry). A rotten, overpopulated, sick mega-city. Whole campaigns can be played in it. Heavy horror vibes.

Supplements

  • Monstrosities (Swords and Wizardry). Nearly 500 monsters. Each monster comes with an example encounter/nano-adventure. Includes tables with monsters by challenge level, guidance on creating new monsters, tables of monsters by terrain, and tables of random encounters (3d6, so bell curve).
  • Tome of Horrors Complete (Swords and Wizardry). More than 700 monsters (no duplicates from Monstrosities). Again, each comes with a small encounter. Includes mundane animals as well.
  • The Blight: Tome of Blighted Horrors (Swords and Wizardry). What, you want more? Well, here are 80 more—body horror aplenty.
  • The Book of Taverns (volumes one, two, and three). Had enough of generic taverns and inns, but short on prep time? Steal one from here. Again, these are revivals of old Necromancer Games books. They are good.

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The time is nigh! Spend wisely!

Here are some Troll Lord Games adventures and supplements I've found useful and enjoyable, although I do not run Castle & Crusaders system. I found most of TLG stuff to have minor errors (e.g. typos, location missing on a map, etc.). Also, most of the modules do require prep. Despite that, I find below worthy of mentioning.

Adventures

Supplements

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Adventurers

Character Class Description
Hagar the Hewer Dwarf level 1 Imagine Conan as dwarf.
Celeborn of Revelshire Elf level 1 Hails from a distant community led by an Ent. Also potentially the ugliest elf you've ever met.
Nolmbork Dwarf level 1 Portly, bald, red bearded, with an epic nose. On a mission to have a drink in every settlement in Wilderlands.

Coldrain 6th, Airday

Leaving Derennan to take care of dead Barad, Hagar and Nolmbork took their orc prisoner to their two-story house. Into the cellar of course. There they were joined by Celeborn of Revelshire, an elf fluent in orcish.

Applying well know motivational techniques resulted in new intelligence. Alas, it was not information these adventurers were looking for!

The orc in questions was a war-priest whom has brought his clan to claim the dungeon they've captured him in. They arrived just before winter, and have been fighting the other “weaker” clan whom had allied with goblins. Supposedly there is a giant ruling on the lower levels, whom they wanted to impress and ally with.

The trio rested and returned to the den. They were committed to finding the source of Red Dragon.

Coldrain 8th, Earthday

Although Barbarian Alatanis is nowhere as cold as Valon, shorter days make it difficult to get far. Still, the party reached the familiar tree with poorly concealed pit next to it. Judging it might be safer to sleep in the dungeon, and that goblinoids surely sleep at night as well, the party pressed on.

The trio acted as a special force team, rapidly clearing room by room; listening at the doors whilst one would watch their back. West they went, west. First to the chamber where they left a mountain of rotting corpses. Then through the westernmost doors.

From there they kept exploring corridors, tiptoeing and paying special attention to any possible traps. The furthest corridor terminated in a t-shaped junction splitting in two long passageways. Nolmbork could smell wet soil coming from the south.

Exploring corridors they passed before, the party found staircase leading down as well as a set of double doors they decided to leave alone. Then they backtracked and explored a spiralling corridor. That one lead them to a plinth atop which two stone legs stood. It was obviously a demolished statue, bereft of anything else. Something was written on the plinth, but everything was scratched except first letter: S.

Hearing a distant tinkle sent the party packing. Once again the backtracked to the room with corpses. This time they went for easternmost doors. This led them to another sleeping chamber, if it was to judge from all the improvised bedrolls.

Pressing on, the trio forced they way through doors reinforced with iron bars, finding themselves in a long room with pillars. The floor was littered with bones, which in turn were caked with dust.

“I better check that one skeleton...” Hagar announced.

The dead lifted its hand to protect itself against the dwarf's hammer, but in vain. Four more skeletons joined the fray. Celeborn was brutally humiliated when one of them backhanded him like a small child. Party soon laid the dead to a more permanent form of rest.

Exploring the chamber further revealed a simple stone throne on the north side. Celeborn also picked up on one pillar having different patterns than others. Closer examination revealed a depression. Pressing it with a ten foot pole opened a secret chamber with scroll case and small metal box.

Elf took the scroll case, opened it with haste, and then unfurled three scrolls found within. He couldn't read any of them, even after casting Read Languages. Hagar the Curious took the small box, inspected it, and then pressed the latch. He instantly felt two pricks, one in each thumb. It hurt; it hurt a lot. Inside was a nice looking gold ring. Was it worth it? Only time will tell.

Bursting through north-west doors led into another corridor. Inching forward to the doors on the left wall, the party heard angry muttering sounds coming from west.

The dwarves decided to head south, through the door, while the elf really wanted to check what the muttering sounds were.

Stench of rot and decay: they found prison cells. Four of them to be exact. A naked, mutilated elven corpse; a corpse of fat man in late stages of decomposition; a beheaded goblin; and a corpse lying face down underneath soiled cot.

Investigating—and by that we mean smashing open—the nearby desk produced iron ring with four large keys. Nolmbork took them and unlocked the cell with facing down corpse. He strolled right in to check on it. The corpse leaped at him with surprising agility and force. It clawed and bit him, sending the dwarf straight to the ground. Hagar and Celeborn rushed to Nolmbork's aid, hacking the undead to death.

“He is still breathing! We must get out of here!”

Pushing south revealed a torture chamber; pushing further south led them into known territory; from there they went straight to exit. Dragging half-dead Nolmbork.

By now it was pitch-black outside. They carried the fallen dwarf to safety, rested, and headed to Hara with first ray of sun. Nolmbork regained his facilities, but was still badly hurt. In other words, he was hardly in marching condition.

In a rare flash of luck, the party stumbled on patrol from Hara whom had recognised Hagar. They offer to escort the bloodied trio to Hara; an offer which the party gladly accepted.

Discuss at Dragonsfoot forum.

#Wilderlands #SessionReport

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Today I received a wonderful gift from one of my players: Karl Edward Wagner's Kane collection of novels and short stories.

Thank you!

#Postbox #Kane

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A zine chronicling the Conquering the Barbarian Altanis D&D campaign.

This issue details session thirty-eight and follow-up play-by-post session. Enjoy account of brutal skirmish at the Circle of Stones!

You can download the issue here.

Overlord's Annals zine is available in print as part of the legendary Alarums & Excursions APA, issue 576:

#Zine

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Charlie Mason, of White Box: Fantasy Medieval Adventure Game fame, has just released a Player's Guide for OSRIC:

This is intended to be a table copy for players. Use it, write in it, spill soda on it and get cheeto fingers on the pages. Then when it falls apart, get another one.

You can get print version, at-cost, from Amazon.

PDF is available for free from here.

Thank you Charlie!

Old School Reference and Index Compilation (OSRIC) is an OGL retroclone of the AD&D 1E. It restates PHB, DMG and MM in a single book, with minor modifications for legal reasons.

Version 2.2 was released in 2013, and is freely available on Lulu and DTRPG. Knights & Knaves Alehouse hosts a thread for tracking and cataloguing latest known errata.

#News #OSR #OSRIC

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Every month I get emails and messages about Conquering the Barbarian Altanis campaign; usually comments or requests to clarify what actually happened.

A few months ago I received a question that required some marination:

My question is one for you and your players. Modern sensibilities in gaming frown on beginning player death, and support a myriad of ways to increase survival and heroism. ... I believe hearing from you and especially your players about their characters many deaths would be great data to clear the air regarding the notion that character death is unenjoyable, and that character death does not support long term play and is unwanted by players. I hope you and your crew can address this topic in a posted piece discussing your thoughts and feelings through actual play.

Background

As of session 70, 64 player characters met their end:

Fate Count %
Dead 50 78%
Uncertain 6 9%
Retired 8 13%
Sum 64 100%

With the following causes:

Cause Count %
Monster 42 66%
Character 9 14%
Trap 7 11%
Environment 4 6%
Disease 2 3%
Sum 64 100%

Character related reasons are the most common cause for retirement, while monsters and traps were responsible for most deaths. Numbers (in percentages) are quite similar to the character death analysis shared by Lyle Fitzgerald in It's a good day to die (Dragon Magazine #20).

Note 1: detailed causes of characters death can be read here.

Note 2: above numbers do not include retainers. That'd double the numbers of deaths.

We currently have 14 players with 25 active player characters, with three players each controlling three active player characters. Everyone except the most recently joined player lost at least one character.

I run Wilderlands as an open sandbox where players have the ultimate freedom to do as they wish. I never fudge dice. The world is alive—it is shaped and shapes the characters in return.

Players' responses

Moss, 2 dead, 2 retired, 1 uncertain:

Character death being a real possibility (and something that actually happens, and frequently) really instills in me a desire to play smart and pay attention. It makes even the small successes matter and feel rewarding, because I know that it is actually possible for my character to fail.

And the big successes make you feel like you've actually accomplished something as real as if it were in real life. On the other hand, I will say it can be frustrating, and does require some adjustment and patience. But for anyone who does have the patience, and the desire to get good at interacting with the fiction to succeed, it brings a satisfaction that I've never encountered in games where death is either ultra rare, or non-existent.

I'll add this: I believe I might enjoy it more if there was a more frequent risk of various injuries instead of instant death. Though I realize there is such a risk in the Wilderlands, just in my experience it hasn't happened often.

Snoop, 12 dead, 1 retired, 1 uncertain:

Yea, I like dying.

Sleazy_b, 3 dead:

I'm only controlling two characters now, Barad and Derennan. RIP Hist. There have been deaths I've enjoyed and those I haven't. Fairness, and narrative both play a role in my enjoyment of a character's death.

The character's I've played that died are: Hist, Mano Stern, and Ulster. Ulster felt bad. We were surprised and lost initiative and there was a very powerful enemy. Mano Stern died in the same encounter and set himself alight from within a fungal monstrosity which was pretty badass.

Hist was a mix of both. He got poisoned on an attack that dealt 1 HP of damage. He drove off the barbarians with an arrow but had no ability to cure himself. I don't know how I might have played that differently.

Nevertheless, I imagine him leading the band back to Ahyff, sick, dying, but still brave and committed.

Mostly to me it's about expectations. I expect my characters to die quite a bit so it's not the end of the world when they do. To elaborate on this, I think the ease of character creation and the fact that we don't do elaborate backstories helps.

But this is all to say that if Derennan dies I'll cry.

I appreciate that the game is hard. I wish I'd played more BX before getting into it and was a more knowledgeable player but I've learned a lot and enjoyed it a ton.

Idle Doodler, 1 dead, 1 uncertain:

Speaking as presumably the current holder of the Shortest-Lived Character record, I say take the dice. If you ain't going to accept their results, why bother rolling anything? Though nothing wrong with a few phantom rolls to keep players on their toes.

I've enjoyed reading through the session summaries as an account of an adventuring company, rather than as a collection of individuals living their adventuring lives parallel to each other. Old school gameplay is for an ensemble cast, and the best ensemble stories are ones that can survive a rotating cast of characters.

BloodyHand, 10 dead, 3 retired, 2 uncertain:

I thought about the question and this is my answer.

PC death is one of the big allures of OSR gaming. The main reason, I think, is that the threat of death represents a fail-state. Old school games can be lost, and PC death is equal to losing the game. If there is winning and loosing, then D&D becomes far more game-like, with real stakes, rather than the more story focused methods of modern gaming, which essentially cannot be lost, and are mere exercises in amateur dramatics. This gives the player a heightened sense of accomplishment and verisimilitude, which most OSR gamers find enthralling.

There is a fine balance with this though because PC death should always be a risk that is taken relative to some reward, or win-state. This is why procedures are so important because they allow the player to take informed risks. Dying in combat is always a reasonable assumption, so the party of players must take the (hopefully) informed decision whether to engage in combat procedure when it arises. The hydra lair was a perfect example of this, we knew there was a huge pile of gold coins in its lair, so we took the risk of entering, even though we knew from experience it could kill us very easily.

When it comes to fudging die; I think the reasonable time to do this is when there is an arising game state where a PC death is imminent with no-win state, or no way for the PCs to make a choice. In a sense this situation is no more a game than the amateur dramatic kind of D&D I mention earlier. The most common way this emerges in OSR games is via random wilderness encounters. Gygax recommends fudging these in the DMG exactly for the reason, that there is no real victory condition, or a hard won victory is negated for no apparent reason.

Kublaibenzine, 2 dead:

What made me move back to OSR was not only the flexibility and cleanliness of the system but the harshness of character existence. No one likes to see their character bite the dust (unless he had crap stats and shouldn't have been adventuring in the first place) but I object to 5Es mechanism that makes characters almost unkillable. Stupid deaths may be a bit frustrating, but I like the idea of the dice landing as they land. So, when Vincensini got dropped by the Roc from a great height, I was a bit saddened but then looked forwards to the next character and playing experience. As my boardgame buddies like to say, it's about telling a good story in the process!

Snoop later added:

I like character creation cause it’s fast and special roles are fun to roll up.

Never_plays_elves, 3 dead, shared after publication of this article:

I read the article on character death, it was interesting and I agree that PC death is not as closely linked to skill at it seems. I mean that it is not connected so much to personal skill but to party skill.

If the party makes the wrong decisions (by vote or caller decision) or some PC manage to turn powerful factions against the party everybody will suffer and sometimes the ones who die are not the PCs of the player who made the wrong decisions. Sometimes the ones causing the problem are the ones who flee first. It also can encourage passive play. “I stay out of trouble, follow along and get a share while risking less while other PCs die.”

How to stop this: PCs (not players) could try to resolve these issues. You know try to get them beyond the “my character would do that.” Such attitudes are passable for less risky narrative focus games not for OSR or classic play. Also rules that foster comradeship and bravery (not recklessness) instead of individualistic play can help.

BTW these are not reflections based on my experience in this campaign; that is a general problem.

Also PC death and campaign continuity. Yes that can be a problem. If players get stuck at 1–3 level forever you cannot really move on to the good stuff. I don't say take them by hand but that is where AD&D can help. AD&D PCs are less flimsy for exactly this reason. Also AD&D play is less based on strict procedure implementation. It allows the DM to be more flexible with random results.

That is why you need the DMG. It shows you both the procedures and where you need to deviate from these procedures and how to do it, for the good of the campaign, not for the fun of the players (like in newer editions).

On the other hand even BX parties who are united and fight systematically as a military unit can survive a lot (my Dwimmermount experience, I never had a PC die in there although he did lose some beloved henchmen). I have been in deadlier campaigns than yours btw... A unique setting with interesting locations, NPCs and rewards can do much to keep the players coming even if it is deadly.

Reflections

As a Judge I root for my players.

There is a lot of advice in Dragon Magazine to fudge the dice when character death feels unfair. And we had several of those. Even though I felt sad with my players, I did not alter the results anyway. I like seeing them win, but I prefer not to alter “the reality” to make them win. In my mind that would be akin to cheating them out of their victory. My grandpa always crushed me at chess. Each of my victories felt so good, because I knew I earned them.

One would expect number of deaths to correlate with player skill, but I haven't been seeing that. The most reliable predictor has been the number of sessions played. Play long enough and you will die. Makes sense... From what I can see at the moment, player skill becomes a better predictor once character hits levels four and above. That too makes sense, since that is the time they are resilient enough not to day from a single slap from an unfortunate roll.

Finally, I must draw attention to the selection bias. Above data also includes numbers from players who joined for a session or two, lost their character, and then left the game. Since they left they couldn't respond to the question posed by the reader. Did they leave because they hated their character dying? Something else? Who knows. Are current players playing because they are masochists? No, I don't think so.

After 70 sessions I can't say that frequent character death impedes long-term campaign play. As long as someone lives they'll be able to recruit more adventurers and continue their career. Hydra Company survived its many members—it fled Antil and lives on in Hara. At the same time, would we have a better game or more fun if less characters died? Who knows. What I do know though is that those who live to see high levels will damn well have deserved it!

#OSR

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Adventurers

Character Class Description
Derennan Dwarf level 3 A dwarf hailing from Western Wastes.
Barad the Bald Magic-User level 1 Bald, beardless, chinless, and lazy-eyed.
Tamren Cleric level 3 Stoic paladin of Coriptis, the Goddess of Battle and Inamorata of Berserkers. Aventail hides all but his two piercing blue eyes.
Hagar the Hewer Dwarf level 1 Imagine Conan as dwarf.
Nolmbork Dwarf level 1 Portly, bald, red bearded, with an epic nose. On a mission to have a drink in every settlement in Wilderlands.

Maggotfeast 13th, Earthday

“You know what? We should go back to the den and finish what we started. Look we even have a paladin with us now! And Derennan is no joke either!”

On top of that Barad, Zarifa's Toy-Boy, also disclosed a marvellous discovery he had—a wand he recovered many months ago turned out to be a potent weapon. It was in fact a Wand of Paralysation, with a conical effect.

The quintet prepared for expedition and set out at once. They reached the familiar tree by next day's afternoon.

Maggotfeast 14th, Fireday

One of the dwarves moved the broad plank concealing the shaft leading into the den. As he did so everyone could hear loud tumbling sounds of rocks and debris falling down the shaft; as if something was lodged right underneath the plank.

Caring little for making noise—after all they are here to stop a drug ring—the party headed down. Bell-shaped entry chamber was as they left it. Filled with animal carcasses, small bones, a dead elf, and a spider husk.

Two doors to the left, two doors to the right, and an archway straight up ahead. Doors to their immediate right were chosen. A little bit of listening, a little bit of prodding, and a corridor unveiled itself.

Remembering a pit trap from their last delve, the party proceeded whilst carefully tapping the floor.

“Stop! I hear something!”

One of the dwarves picked up on giggling sounds behind the doors they just came through. Alas, everybody heard the next thing—the sound of doors being swung open.

And then Barad felt getting shot in the gut. He fell down to the ground and blacked out. Three dwarves and a paladin charged into the darkness. A mass of small brownish creatures armed with short swords and light crossbows cried and fell back into the bell shaped chamber.

Party gave chase, only to find themselves surrounded from all directions. From now on it was a bloody free-for-all. Wherever they swung something died. In return they got stabbed and shot at and insulted relentlessly.

“Look at that big-nosed dwarf! I'll have his beard!” Nolmbork could pick up between heaves and screams and sounds of metal clashing. It was dirty Goblin language. And they were dirty little goblins. And there was lot of them.

And then a torch-bearer dropped the torch.

Little did the darkness help the goblinoid bunch, for the adventurers kept swinging wildly; back to back. Nolmbork unleashed a fierce warcry, sending a bunch of small critters fleeing for their lives.

Adventurers' respite did not last even a minute. The doors they cam through and then came back from swung open once more!

“Drop your weapons or we slit his throat.” a large humanoid with leathery skin and oversized pig-face spoke in broken Dwarven as he held up unconscious Barad. There were at least six more like it, and they were well armed. Surviving goblins rallied and picked up their weapons once more.

Nolmbork The Quick-Witted explained that all of this is merely a misunderstanding and that they are here to buy some Red Dragon. That landed well with orcs.

“How much is it?”

“How much do you have?”

“A hundred and something gold coins...”

“That will do it.”

Orc dropped Barad unceremoniously, turned around and left.

“Now, which one of you was interested in my beard?”

Remaining goblins did not cry for long.

Tamren hung his head in shame. He bought his life! Instead of earning the right to live in battle! Coriptis would never even look at him; let alone sleep with him! Now he was nothing but a disgrace looking for redemption!

“Uh, are these orcs coming back? For how long do we wait?”

They got out and headed straight back to Hara.

Maggotfeast 16, Airday

“What did you do to my handsome sage!”

Zarifa Pilter, usually ice cold and reserved, fumed at Barad's beaten-up, bloodied, and battered state.

“You imbeciles! Don't you know that blunt force trauma renders one stupider?! Of course you don't, you bunch of stone-cutters! Oh my lovely sage, what have they done to you?”

The rest retreated to their comfortable townhouse where they rested, recovered, and licked their wounds.

Barad received the finest treatment at the Pleasure Palace. There he also received an offer of employment. Eight hundred gold coins a month to become Pilter family chief sage. A vizier perhaps! The only condition? He would never be allowed to adventure. Ever again!

It is unknown how he weaselled himself out of this deal, but what is know is that he snuck out in time to join the next expedition to the den.

Coldrain 1st, Airday

Winter is here. Days are shorter.

This time removing the plank caused no unusual sounds.

Bell shaped chamber was as before. Well, mostly. Five mutilated goblin corpses were hanging from the ceiling.

“Let's head left”.

A thirty foot long corridor leading to a t-shaped junction. Left again, into a four-way intersection. A door to their right, corridors in other directions. Left corridor turned left into a dead-end. Right corridor led to stuck doors behind which nothing could be heard.

Up ahead, thirty feet further, the corridor terminated in another t-shaped junction. Stuck doors at the end of both passageways. The right ones stank of shit.

“Let's head back...”

Backtracking to the first t-junction they encountered, the party turned left and followed the long corridor until they reached another doors.

Loud grunts and noises could be heard from behind.

“Brace yourselves...”

Hagar the Mighty smashed the doors open.

Four pig-headed creatures, with dumbfounded expressions on what is an insult to call face, sat around the table playing dice. Dim-lantern rested in the middle of the table. Left and right side of the chamber were lined with straw-mats on which more of the creatures were sleeping. Another doors were straight ahead.

“Charge!”

The party spilled in, breaking into right and left wing, leaving Barad alone in the center. Magic-User pointed his wand, yelled some incomprehensible words, and sitting orcs froze still. Sleeping orcs were slain before they had a chance to react. Paralysed orcs wept as they were inefficiently hacked to death.

Hagar the Curious opened north doors, “just to check it out.”

First he was hit a strong whiff of rancid alcohol that made his eyes watery. Then he realised what were the shapes in front of him. A dozen or more half-naked orcs singing, yelling, and wrestling. On north wall was a bas-relief of large war-hammer. By it was a dressed orc wielding hammer and yelling whilst holding his arms spread out.

Unsure what to do, Hagar whacked the closest orc that stumbled towards him. Alas, the monster fell and wedged the doors open.

“The wand! The wand!”

Illustration by kickmaniac

Dwarf rolled to the side as Barad unleashed his super weapon once more. Everything, including the imposing hammer-orc froze in place. Everything but a dozen orcs that didn't. Drunk, they stumbled and fell over each other, looking for weapons to fight with.

Barad's triumph lasted ten seconds. An intoxicated orc rushed out and speared him right through heart. Zarifa's lover fell dead.

Derennan, Tamren, Nolmbork, and Hagar formed a gauntlet around the bottleneck. They hacked and smashed and skewered orcs like pigs for slaughter. Drunken horde flailed and fell over each other, and then clashed against open doors as a sea of flesh, yelling & roaring. Too many to fit through, one after another they fell under the mighty adventurers. Except Tamren; disgraced paladin was missing. A lot.

A minute later they stood victorious on a carpet of corpses. Nineteen of them. And Barad. Somewhere at the bottom of the pile. Paralysed monsters were promptly executed—sans the shamanistic figure.

As they moved into the chamber, they could see what was an obvious party scene: wine spilled all over the ground, food trampled in chaos, and two dead goblins pinned to the west wall with daggers and darts sticking out of them. Several small barrels, wine or some other dark red liquid, and three sacks of flax seed were the only obvious “valuables.”

“Gag the shaman, frisk the corpses, take Barad, and let's get out of here!”

The party recovered 97 gold coins, one small lapis lazuli, one small piece of obsidian, one black onyx, one small ruby, one jeweled scabbard of fine make (possibly elven), and one magic-user corpse.

Enroute to Hara the party had been accosted by patrol heading to Violentague. Patrol was taken aback by their shabby prospect and were very disinterest in their affairs.

The party reached Hara on noon of Coldrain 6th, Airday.

“Quick, to the temple with Barad! Before Zarifa finds out!”

As if they could afford Mavis the Magnificent, High Priestess of Poseidon, whom said no to the mightiest men of Hara and paid the price for it!

Discuss at Dragonsfoot forum.

#Wilderlands #SessionReport

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